School day debate is getting ugly

CPS, teachers union accusing each other of pressure tactics

If it weren't a propaganda war already, the debate over a longer school day has now turned nasty, with both sides accusing each other of exerting pressure to sway teachers.

The battle is so fierce that union leaders at some schools have complained to the district that Chicago Teachers Union officials have made unannounced visits to their homes at night to persuade them to vote against adding 90 minutes of instruction time. Other union delegates have accused their principals of intimidating teachers with threats that schools will be closed and staffing positions cut unless teachers approve the measure, securing as much as $150,000 in financial incentives.

With rumors and allegations rampant on both sides, it's difficult to separate fact from fiction.

Still, educators say that at times, the pressure has worked. A principal at a Far South Side school said she believes union pressure flipped the tally at her school against a longer day. And CTU staff coordinator Jackson Potter accused the principal at Mount Vernon Elementary School of trying to pressure teachers by talking about the number of employees who may be laid off.

Principal Kenya Sadler at Brown School of Technology on the West Side, one of nine schools to sign waivers to extend the school day this year, said union officials visited her school and badgered teachers who went along with the deal.

"They were really shaken up by the confrontation with the union," she said.

"There are rumors on both sides about threats and intimidation," Brizard stated in an email message to teachers and school staff. "I urge anyone who feels that discussions about the merits of the longer day have crossed the line into hostility — or if you are contacted in an inappropriate time or place — to please report the incident immediately to your principal, the CTU and CPS."

He also addressed allegations that school votes over the longer day have been improperly conducted. Some teachers have charged that principals seeing teachers leaning against an extended day have brought in other school staff to cast their ballots, too.

In the email, Brizard stated that anyone who is part of the bargaining unit — including teachers, school clerks, school assistants and teachers assistants — can cast a ballot.

"In each vote, your union delegate controls the process," he said. "Your delegate can contact the CTU at any time to verify eligibility. Your union delegate also certifies the vote upon completion. There have been some honest mistakes in the process to date — but all of them have happened under the watchful eyes of your delegates."

The citywide showdown over a longer school day transformed into a school-by-school battle over teacher votes soon after Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Brizard publicly offered schools and teachers money in exchange for extending the school day. Schools willing to buck their union and start a new schedule this month will gain $150,000 in discretionary funds and $1,250 bonuses for teachers. Schools making the switch in January will get $75,000 in discretionary dollars and $800 teacher bonuses.

By bypassing the union and dealing directly with teachers, CPS "harmed" both the union and its members, alleged CTU officials in a complaint filed with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. In that complaint, the union also accused principals at the first three schools approving a longer school day of coercion and threatening teachers with layoffs.

Union officials say those tactics have continued at other schools debating and voting on the issue.

Potter said union officials visiting schools have stressed only that teachers agreeing to work longer hours without a raise are essentially weakening the union's bargaining power as a new round of contract talks begins.

As for allegations that the union may be applying the squeeze to its members, Potter added: "I imagine some people are feeling pressure because this is a very tense moment in our union's history. But unlike principals that are threatening people by eliminating their positions or by saying they're not serving children or, to use Brizard's rhetoric, they're not 'courageous,' we're telling our members where we stand and why they should vote no. But no matter what happens, they are still our brothers and sisters."